Showing 11 - 20 of 20
Open economy evangelist
Asia focus, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 14/08/2017
» New Zealand has long been known for kiwi fruit, lamb and the invincible All Blacks, the fearsome national rugby team. But in the global economic sphere, the country is also known as a champion of open economies and free trade. Last year, the country was rated the world's second-best place to do business by Forbes magazine. That helps confirm its reputation in the field of trade -- and explains why the British government chose a New Zealander to head its post-Brexit trade negotiating team.
A place among the dead
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 26/07/2016
» Cemeteries are a sanctuary for the dead and the mourners. But the Bangkok Protestant Cemetery on Charoen Krung 72/5, known as Soi Susan Farang, has been known as a tourist attraction, due to the beautiful architecture of the memorial sites and splendidly carved gravestones. The cemetery, besides being one of the oldest burial grounds that remain unaffected by the urban development of the city, has a cultural value as a testament of foreign cultures present in Thailand from the mid-19th century until the present day.
Crowdfunders serve as architect's artistic influence
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 01/08/2016
» Architect Yanyong Boon-Long is a unique voice in the Thai design community through his creative use of space and innovation aiming at improving or even solving social problems. He has been involved in a project that installs solar roofs for a low-income canal community. His research funded by Rockefeller Foundation also inspired the authorities to connect Bangkok's canals with Metro Rapid Transit (MRT) transit stations.
Thais must face up to China reality
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 28/03/2016
» There has always been a special bond between China and Thailand, which hosts the largest overseas Chinese community in the world. In Thai culture, the Chinese influence is easily traced, through descendants whose origins can be found in rural areas of the southern Chinese mainland, from where their ancestors fled poverty, communism and political oppression to the more hospitable environs of Thailand.
Molecular interpretation of traditional cuisine
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 04/04/2016
» Local foodies will not be able to comprehend why Michelin-starred Thai restaurants are located overseas -- such as Nahm at The Halkin Hotel in London, and KIIN KIIN in cold Copenhagen, Denmark, and Thais will keep busy comparing the taste authenticity. The question, perhaps, does not need an answer. Food should not have a racial barrier, and Michelin-star standardisation helps notch up Thai cuisine into the territory of haute cuisine.
Creating an urban oasis
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 15/10/2014
» Andrew Grant is right — Bangkok, he said, seems to lack a strong public idea about landscape. The renowned landscape architect's work have trailblazed and inspired environmental sustainability, incorporating the fundamentals of ecological planting, biodiversity and water use. Grant was recently in town as a guest lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Architecture.
Of me, my wellness and ThaiHealth
News, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 21/01/2016
» The name "ThaiHealth" (Thai Health Foundation), a public organisation well oiled by "sin taxes" from cigarettes and alcohol companies, has become the talk of the town. The glare of the spotlight came early this month when Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha invoked Section 44 of the interim charter to sack seven of its board members for alleged "conflicts of interest".
Sojourn in Siam
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 21/12/2015
» The Siamese Trail Of Ho Chi Minh -- the third book by Bangkok-based writer Teddy Spha Palasthira -- has come out in an interesting time. Not only did Vietnam celebrate the 40th year of the country's reunification earlier this year, but the Asean Economic Community (AEC) is set to become active next month, with a promise to bring the relationships and history of the region into public attention.
7-Eleven, eggs and me — it's complicated
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 31/10/2014
» What is the first dish that you learned to cook for yourself? Mine was a boiled egg — kai tome yang matoom (medium soft-boiled egg) — back when I was in elementary school. I cooked it myself because my family found I was too picky with food. They decided to let me boil my own egg after I complained that others' boiled eggs' had textures and yolks that were too soft or too hard. I was taught to add salt to the boiling water and time it for four minutes, no more or less. I became quite good at it. My boiled eggs are soft enough to be cut with a small thread of string.
Sustainable scraps of common sense
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 04/06/2015
» Last month may well be remembered as a watershed moment in the fight against our ignorance and gluttony-driven food consumption. The good news that might set precedent in the future is about French councillor Arash Derambarsh, who succeeded in passing a law to solve the food waste problem in France.